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“Yeah, I guess you are right.” I contemplate her words, and I know I would have never given Jabarri a chance on my own. I had to be hurt, seek therapy, and heal before I was ready for his love. It hurt, a lot, but in the end, it pushed me right where I needed to be. “How are things between you and Liam?” And I see something I have never thought to see. Emerson blushes and turns shy. Well, that wasn’t on my bingo card.
“It’s more than I could have ever anticipated. He is everything. He was so much of what I didn’t know I wanted or needed. And princess treatment is an understatement. He doesn’t try to change me or dim my light. He isn’t intimidated by me, my knowledge, or my skills. I love him so much. When he got shot at the baby shower, I saw everything that could have been flash before my eyes and disappear. When I realized he was okay, I knew then I would never leave his side.”
“You’re married!” I gasp.
“We’re married,” she confirms and proceeds to tell me everything. I am crying with her by the time she is done telling their story. “If you could keep it to yourself, I would really appreciate it. We want to tell everyone when the time is right.”
“I mean, I’m going to tell Jabarri, but we will keep your secret,”
“That’s fair, I don’t keep anything from Liam either,”
“I mean, this might be a stupid question, but Eliza does know, right?”
“It’s not a stupid question, and yes, she knows.”
“I am so happy for you guys. I’m happy for all of us,” I tell her just as the server brings our food. Liam is a gentle giant, he has taken care of Aunt Parker for years, and now he is Emerson’s husband, and from the blush creeping across her face, he is taking amazing care of her. It’s crazy to think of all the ripples in the water from one pebble being thrown in the water, my mom. Her running into DJ changed the trajectory of so many lives. Everything really does happen for a reason. We eat our food, talk about the wedding, the baby shower that they missed, and everything in between until it was time to head back home. We never even got to go shopping.
CHAPTER 20
Skai
The wedding was beautiful, and Isabella was a beautiful bride. Shepp gave her daughter a necklace when he gave Isabella her ring and had everyone in attendance in tears. Saint was his best man, and I was his best woman. Of course, our granddad officiated the wedding, and much to all our surprise, he brought his wife with him, and my mom actually talked to her. This world is definitely coming to an end. Once they said I do, we put the kids to bed with the grands and partied like it was 1999! I have never seen my brother happier, and just think he didn’t even want to go to college. And not only did he go and finish, he excelled and took over GP’s empire, with ease and panache. He has grown GP’s brand, and GP has allowed him to create, and offshoot of his own under the Bennet umbrella, and it is doing well. He is a millionaire in his own right and he is only two years older than me. He used to come to me asking for money, but now I go to him. My mom and the other wives gift each other charm bracelets when they marry into the family but we chose personalized cuff bracelets. It was jewelry that even the guys can wear.
I look at my work desk and realize I have not really gotten anything done today at all. I have been reliving the wedding, and I am ready to really begin planning my wedding, too, and even in the midst of the uncertainty and drama I am going to begin planning it. My stomach’s loud grumble lets me know I need to go get lunch. There is a spot all the way in the basement that makes the best tuna melts, and I am not leaving the campus so no need for a chaperone. I grab my keys, cell phone, ear buds, and wallet and head out. I jab the down button on the elevator and wait, but after waiting a long few moments and another stomach grumble, I decide to take the stairs. I take them two at a time, making light work of the flights until I get to the door that will lead me out to the floor. I am past the lunch hour, so it is pretty empty down here.
“Hey, Ms. Doris,” I say to the lady behind the counter. Ms. Doris is retired and picked up the job to have something to do once all of her kids got married and moved away.
“Hi, baby, your usual?”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say and grab a Nehi Peach Soda from the cooler as Ms. Dora puts together my sandwich. She makes short work of putting my sandwich together as we talk about life.
“Here you go, Skai,” she says, handing me the large sub. “I swear I don’t know where you put all this food. You’re as skinny as a rail,” she says the same thing every time I come down here to eat.
“Right here, Ms. Doris,” I tell her, patting my stomach. I tap my debit card on the machine and head back to the stairwell. Maybe if I put my calories at a deficit by taking the stairs, it will make up for me getting ready to eat this entire sub and drink this whole soda. I take the steps two at a time. I get to the third floor and run into someone else on the stairs, she’s tall, almost six feet. She puts me instantly on alert. I know this is a school, so people being in the stairwell is a common occurrence but she is like a cactus among roses. She just doesn’t fit. But then again I think to myself she could be a new student or hell even a new staff member. We pass each other, and I continue to the fourth floor. I grab the knob but it won’t turn. And then I feel it someone is coming up behind me.
“It would seem you are locked in here with me,” the woman from earlier says with a think Spanish accent.
“Is that a fact?” I ask her.
“It is, but do not worry, I will make this quick.”
“Oh, I am sure it will be quick because contrary to your earlier statement, I am not locked in here with you, you’re locked in here with me,” I tell her seconds before swinging the bag with my good ole sandwich in it and hitting her across her temple. I kick her kneecap, smiling in satisfaction at the loud crack and pop sound, and I know I’ve broken it. She drops down screaming, crying, and holding her leg. I grasp the soda, pull back and punch her in the temple before kicking her in her chest. When she falls back, I stomp her throat, crushing her windpipe and killing her instantly. I am breathing heavy when I am done. “Damn, that was my lunch,”I say to myself when my stomach once again growls out her displeasure. I grab my phone, “Call Barbie,” I tell it as I reach down and pull out the one segment that is still in the wrapper, and take a bite waiting for him to answer.
“Hey, baby,” he says into the phone.
“We have a problem,” I say without preamble.
This is a fresh hot mess. I think as I look at my family flip the hell out about the attempt on me today. Jabarri and all his brothers showed up and took care of the body, but now they really want to put me on restriction. My mom is holding me like she’s scared that if she lets me go I will disappear.
“This is the worse time to not have the safety of the compound,” Atlas says.
“Wasn’t too secure when Nabeck came knocking,” DJ says, reminding all of us why they are no longer living under one roof.
“Maybe, but the only reason we walked away from that is because we were there together, had they caught us one by one, I don’t know if all of us would be here to talk about it right now,” Joseph says, making us all nod in agreement.
“I called Doone. He’s on his way. He said he was just getting ready to call us,” Uncle Atlas says. It doesn’t take long for Doone to get there.
“Atlas,” he says as he shakes his hand. “So here’s what I found out. Art is the new leader of Victor’s old organization. He had a few people ahead of him but they either came up dead or missing.
